Kate Walsh checks back into Grey’s Anatomy

What a way to start the weekend! Entertainment Weekly is reporting that Kate Walsh will return to Grey’s Anatomy for an episode this spring.

That’s right; “She-Shepherd” and her stilettos will once again be making their way through the halls of Seattle Grace. As loyal Tube Talk readers know, I’ve loved Addison Montgomery-formerly-Shepherd since the moment she surprised McDreamy in the lobby. Her move to Private Practice has been a sore spot for me since she departed. Despite a fantastic cast, I just can’t seem to get into Private Practice.

So rejoice Grey’s fans. She’s back, even if it is only for one episode. I wish she’d stick around for more, considering Private Practice is on hiatus until next season and that her character has changed dramatically since leaving Seattle.

I can’t wait to see Addison mix it up again with her old pal Miranda and her former lovers McSteamy and McDreamy. In fact, I wouldn’t mind her having a reunion with McDreamy in that trailer. Mer-Der fans please don’t send me hate mail. My love for Addison knows no bounds.

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Bones, Moonlight, and others added to Paley Festival

TV Guide is reporting that the annual Paley Television Festival has just added 11 more TV panels to its already fantastic 2008 lineup.

Bones, Moonlight, The View, Kyle XY, Greek, and The Young and the Restless are just a few of the shows joining a second part of the festival, kicking off on March 28, according to the TV Guide Web site. The first part of the festival runs March 14-27.

This is the best lineup I’ve ever seen for Paley Festival. Can you imagine any other event where the casts of Friday Night Lights, (yes, even my beloved Kyle Chandler), Buffy the Vampire Slayer (my beloved Sarah Michelle Gellar and James Marsters) and the casts of Bones, Moonlight and Pushing Daisies all come together? And that’s not even the half of it.

After seeing this breaking news about the addition of Bones, I couldn’t help but wonder now if David Boreanaz will join the Buffy reunion. It was previously reported that Boreanaz could not join his former cast mates due to a family commitment, but was planning a taped message. Now that his new show, Bones, is included in a panel, perhaps he’ll show up with the rest of the Scoobies to reminisce about all things Buffy? Hey, a girl can dream right?

If you don’t already have a ticket to the Buffy panel, good luck in getting one. It’s sold out. So is the Pushing Daisies panel. I’m hoping (OK praying and considering bribing someone) to post the Buffy, Friday Night Lights, Bones, Moonlight, and Pushing Daisies panels on You Tube for all of us who cannot attend.

Tickets for the second part of the festival featuring Bones, Moonlight, and more go on sale March 14.

For more information and a complete lineup of shows and casts attending, visit the Paley Festival site.

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Commentary with a Co-ed: One Tree HIll Goes Breakfast Club

by Ashley Gouveia

The meat-locker episode: an hour of television when two or more characters, who are portrayed as enemies or rivals, are trapped in one place and are forced to work out their differences in the meantime. It can also be referred to as The Breakfast Club episode.

Right from the promo, I thought that this week’s One Tree Hill was going to be another classic meat-locker episode. (In promo man’s voice) The old flame vs. the fiancée.

Peyton and Lindsay were stuck in the library and forced to confess why they hate each other so much. Is there really any reason why Peyton hates her? Lindsay was pretty decent to her when they met. I get that it would be awkward, but if I were her I would be more upset with Lucas. He kissed Peyton and then ran home to propose to his girlfriend. Make up your mind! We all know you want to be with Peyton.

With any good meat-locker episode, there are recollections of the past. I was thrilled to hear mentions of Keith, Jimmy, and the shooting. I miss Uncle Keith! Mouth finally got to cover the Ravens game for his job, but missed his sports announcing partner. I laughed when Tim showed up as the pizza-delivery guy. He’s another one we haven’t seen in a while. I always laughed at his peculiar man crush on Nathan. Turned out, Tim has a son and named him Nathan, which caused Haley and Brooke to look away awkwardly.

Little Jamie Scott continues to steal every scene he’s in. How cute was he when he was wrapping his wrist up with Quentin before the big game? The slow-motion team walkout, with Jamie in tow, was hysterical. I’d rather see scenes with him than Kevin Federline any day.

Lucas and Nathan confided in each other about their problems. Nathan told him about the kiss from Nanny Carrie. I kind of expected a bigger reaction from Lucas than we got. I was disturbed that Nathan didn’t tell Haley about it. He should have gone ahead and fired her for being so obvious in her intentions. Haley, next time hire Mrs. Doubtfire! I can only hope that the nanny goes far, far away. She’s probably the most hated character by most of the Tree Hill fans.

All of you know that I can’t talk about OTH without talking about music. Tuesday’s episode had some good ones. Mia sang most of the songs that were featured, but in the final moments we heard a song from my favorite band. “Broken” by Lifehouse (awesome song!) played when the girls, and Tim, were let out of the library. I had a feeling Tim knew they weren’t really locked in. He broke my heart though when he told him he did that because he missed them. Aww! Apparently, no one kept in touch.

Next week, it’s all about Dan! Maybe we will finally find out what happened to Deb. Weigh in on this week’s One Tree Hill. Liked it, hated it? Are you hating the nanny storyline as much as me? ‘Til next week!


Commentary with a Co-Ed is a weekly column at Tube Talk new every Friday.

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Idol Chatter: Bye Bye Bye

by Becky Tennant and Bethany O'Neil

Tonight we said good-bye to four more Idol hopefuls. And props to us, we got three out of four right.

For the girls we said adios to Alexandrea Lushington, which was no surprise, and to Alaina Whitaker, which was a little bit of a surprise. We had her pegged to go home next week. And it was awkwardly obvious that she didn't think she was leaving either. Amanda Overmyer's performance was rough, over exaggerated, and not what we are looking for in an i
Idol. She should have been the one booted over Alaina this week. If Amanda's performance next week is even remotely similar to this weeks gig, she won't last much longer.

For the guys, it was sayonara to Jason Yeager and Robbie Carrico. Unfortunately, Jason just didn't have what it takes to win fans out there. He was a good singer, but there is just too much competition in the hotties to just be OK. Robbie Carrico however tried to be Bo Bice and Chris Daughtry which is not cool to us, we are HUGE Chris and Bo fans, and Robbie didn't make a mark for himself. Maybe it was the fact that he is a former boy-bander, though, that turned potential fans off, or maybe it was the wig? Oh well, time to move on.

Next week, more Idol hopefuls will be sacrificed to the voting Gods and the competition will become fiercer. It will be interesting to see how this season will pan out, with all the talk of Idol producers "planting" people in the show. Stay tuned and we will see you next week.

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Scrubs moving to ABC?

According to The Hollywood Reporter, ABC is currently in negotiations to produce 18 episodes of Scrubs for next season.

I say, “It’s about time.”

ABC has produced Scrubs for NBC since 2001, a deal I’ve never understood. During that time, NBC treated Scrubs like an afterthought for most of its run, with constant schedule changes and the threat of cancellation, year after year, that left fans frustrated.

This was supposed to be the final season for Scrubs. Its episode orders were cut from 18 to 12 due to the writers’ strike, and fans fear that the show will not get a proper ending.

The final five original episodes of Scrubs left to air this season will air on NBC starting April 10.

As for next season on ABC, TV Guide is reporting that the whole cast is on board, including Zach Braff, if the show truly makes the jump to ABC.

I wish Scrubs would have aired on ABC for the duration of its run, and then perhaps it would have received the promotion and respect it deserved. It seemed like the show was never a priority at NBC, perhaps because another network was producing it. Or perhaps, if it had aired on ABC all those years ago, it would have been cancelled long ago. Who knows?

The bottom line is we’ll get to see more of grouchy Dr. Cox, “Chocolate Bear,” Ted and the gang.

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Idol Chatter: The girls struggle with the ‘70s

by Becky Tennant and Bethany O'Neil

Last night, it was the ladies turn to sing hits from the ‘70s and unlike the majority of the guys, all but a few bombed.

It seemed like it was going to be a great evening when Carly started the show with Heart's "Crazy on You" and gave a great performance. Syesha followed with her rendition of "Me and Mrs. Jones" that was pretty decent and that was followed up by Brooke White crooning out Carly Simon's "You're so Vain" to Simon. Unfortunately, after her delightful performance, the girls just went downhill from there.

We agree with the judges on most of the performances; they were just OK. Nothing terrific and nothing outstanding, which is really unfortunate because most of them have excellent voices.

We thought that Amanda Overmyer would pick a rock song and go full out. The Cruella Deville look is getting old, and we don't think that she will be able to win votes from anyone outside of her genre of music. Did anyone notice that she is the identical twin to Candace Cameron from Full House?

Alexandrea Lushington's performance is another that just didn't work for us. Not to mention the fact that every time she gets criticized, she whines about it. Take it in and move on. Maybe if she actually listened to the judges, she could improve each week instead of blowing off what they said. Back talk just shows that you could potentially have a bad attitude, which is a no-no for us.

We were also disappointed in Asia'h's performance. While the ending was ok, it just didn't set right, and we know she can and will do better.

Our top pick of the evening was Carly and the vulnerable ones are Amanda and Alexandrea. Of course with American Idol being more about popularity than talent, it is always hard to tell who will be sent home.

Tomorrow we will return with the results. In the meantime, enjoy a rehash of Carly's performance.

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Men in Trees returns tonight

Remember the fun folks of Elmo, Alaska?

Yeah, I know it’s been awhile. But ABC has finally come to its senses and is bringing back this quirky dramedy tonight at 10 p.m.. Can I get a Woo-Hoo?

It’s been so long since we’ve seen Marin, Celia, Jerome, and the gang, I can’t even remember where we left off. I think Jack was on a fishing boat facing a horrible death wasn’t he?

I blame ABC for pulling Men in Trees for eight months and then changing its day and time to so often that viewers don’t know when or where to find the show. Let’s hope this time around, Men in Trees gets better treatment and is given time to grow with fans.

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Idol Chatter: Guys groovin’ to the ‘70s

by Becky Tennant and Bethany O'Neil

Last night the top 10 guys grooved to tunes from the ‘70s. Overall, it was an improvement over last week’s drab performances, but there were still a couple ouches from the evening.

Of course, our main man, Michael Johns, did a good job of singing Fleetwood Mac's "You Can Go Your Own Way." While he is always number one with us in the "overall he is a star department," he wasn't our top pick from the night.

David Hernandez blew us away. He had awesome vocals and an awesome performance. Last night, he was the total package.

We know everyone under 16 and the three judges think that David Archuletta is some kind of prodigy, but we disagree. Yes he is cute and can sing, and he is a nice guy, but he is just way too overrated. He did do a good job with John Lennon's "Imagine" and it was touching, but we don't think it was the best Idol performance "ever." What is the big deal? He is probably one of the leading finalists in this competition though.

We predict that Jason Yeager, Robbie Carrico, and Luke Menard are the vulnerable ones tonight. While Jason's performance was definitely off, we think Simon was reverting back to his old self and was just too mean to him. Robbie Carrico, who used to date Britney Spears by the way, is just too cocky and not original. David Cook is the only real "rocker" there, and he is tough competition.

One last tidbit: What is it with the Jessica Alba/Miley Cyrus wanna-be, Danny Noriega? He is slowly becoming the Sanjaya of the season. We know his chances of getting the boot are slim because for some reason people like him, but we just don't get it. Maybe we are getting too old.

Tomorrow we will be back with our top picks from the girls. Meanwhile, enjoy this video from You Tube of David Archuletta. And let us know if you think it is the best Idol performance "ever."

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Idol Chatter: Eliminations

by Becky Tennant and Bethany O'Neil

Sorry, folks, that this installment of Idol Chatter is a bit behind. But with work, the flu, and life, sometimes these things happen.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, however you may feel about it, we didn't miss much.

This week was the dreaded ‘60s week. We can't stand this part of the competition, and we feel that it is a bit unfair. Why make people sing songs from over 40 years ago when they are trying to be a "modern" Idol. We know; they should know all types of music. But we just think that this part of the audition is a waste of time. It is no wonder that most of the contestants bombed.

We did learn from this week that if you don't bring your game EVERY night, you will be going home.

Joanne Borgella and Amy Davis were voted out by the fans. Good call on that, too. Joanne wasn't ready, and Amy lacked a certain "star power." Colton Berry was sent home, as well as Garrett Haley. Neither of these two would have made it to the finales, but it would have been nice to be able to say goodbye to the Jessica Alba look-alike, Danny Noriega. His back talk and odd behavior left us with a sour taste in our mouths.

Hopefully next week won't bring us anymore "decade-themed" nights, and it will bring us some more talent and memorable performances.

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Las Vegas canceled

NOOOOOOO!!! They can’t do this. It’s unjust. It’s unfair. It’s, it’s, it’s an outright abomination.

I just opened up my e-mail to find my inbox overflowing with messages from loyal readers who are outraged that NBC has canceled Las Vegas. I feel you, Tubers. I don’t think there exists a strong enough adjective to describe my anger and indignation. Let’s just say that “pissed off” doesn’t even begin to cover it.

Las Vegas is one of those shows I look forward to watching every week. It’s not complicated or emotionally taxing. It’s just like the city itself: FUN.

Yes, I understand it’s a ratings game, and the show hasn’t reached high numbers this season, but it’s on Friday night. It’s not exactly a night when many people are home watching television.

The real tragedy in this decision is that for five long years, fans have loyally watched this show and won’t get any kind of closure. Last week’s two-hour season finale, that was full of cliffhangers, is the last new episode you’ll see, if NBC has its way.

Will Delinda have the baby? Will Cooper retain the casino? Will Casey be alive? We’ll never know, if the show doesn’t return at least for an episode or two to wrap up the loose ends. At least we got to see Sam finally admit that she still loves Casey. I guess that’s something.

For those of you who refuse to take this news passively, I encourage you to get on board with the fan campaign to save the show. Let’s hope it has Jericho-style results.

For details on what you can do, head over to Las Vegas the Series to join the masses. (Thanks to Allison for letting me know.) Make me proud, Tubers.

We gave this show five years. The least NBC can give us is a decent ending.

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Commentary with a Co-ed: Let's Talk Lost

by Ashley Gouveia


I was just getting over the idea that Sayid is working for Ben in the future, and then we learned that Kate’s a mommy. I assumed that the writers were going to drag it along and make it a ‘Who’s the baby’s daddy?’ guessing game. But I should know better that when it comes to Lost. Nothing is what it seems.

Let me start off by saying that I’m so glad Lost is back. These flash-forwards are awesome and so much more intriguing than the flashbacks. At least with these we get a glimpse to what life’s like after the island. According to Hurley, there are six of the famous Oceanic Six survivors. I’m not that great at math but that doesn’t sound too good for some of our Losties.

One castaway that I wouldn’t mind not making that six, is Locke. The guy creeps me out! I used to feel bad for him because he didn’t have a kidney and his father was a big loser. But when he went Rambo on my Charlie last season, that’s when he lost my sympathy. He’s gone all dictator on his own little Mr. Rogers Neighborhood. Who is he kidding? Ben got it right; he has no idea what he’s doing. He’s too busy trying to find phantom Jacob and the ghostly cabin. When are we going to find out what that’s all about?

I’m happy to report there were no black horses in sight in this Kate centered episode. She was still in trouble with the law though. That’s when she let the bomb drop that she has a son. What? Was that the ‘he’ she was referring to when she had her talk with Jack in the season finale? I automatically thought Sawyer was the baby’s daddy. Then halfway through the episode I changed my mind and thought it was Doc Shepherd. Especially the end scene when Kate said she knew why he didn’t want to see the baby.

My mind was reeling trying to figure out what could be the reason for Jack wanting to stay away. He does have daddy issues of his own, so no wonder he’d keep his distance. It’s revealed that the baby’s name is Aaron. Yep, Claire’s Aaron. Where does that leave Claire? I’m thinking in a not so good place. First my Charlie and now possibly Claire. Jack can’t face his half sister’s son for some reason. I’m still waiting for that secret to come out.

What’s interesting is that there is no Sawyer in sight during Kate’s flash-forwards. I’m still calling him Sawyer even though about half the cast is calling him James. I can’t get used to it. The name just fits him so well. Poor Sawyer. All he really wants is to play house with Kate. She doesn’t seem like she’s up for it. They won’t get a chance anyway, because Locke banished her after she let Miles talk to Ben.

The so-called rescue is at a stand still. That’s not so shocking. Maybe Miles is right and they should stick to the island. Who knows if they actually survived the crash?


Commentary with a Co-Ed is a weekly column at Tube Talk new every Friday.

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Idol Chatter: Girls night

by Becky Tennant and Bethany O'Neil

Last night on American Idol was Girls’ Night, and to put it bluntly, the girls sunk like a ship in a typhoon.

Even the ones who we know have awesome voices couldn't pull out a top-notch performance that we would expect at this point.

While we cringed throughout most of the performances, there were a couple that were OK. Carly, Syesha, and Ramielle sounded good, but lacked that "WoW."

We don't have a top pick for the girls, though we believe that Joanne Borgella and Amy Davis are the vulnerable ones tonight.

We’ll back tomorrow with more recaps of this week’s shows and to let you know who was voted off the show. Meanwhile, enjoy this funny clip from you tube.

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Dancing partners named on Dancing With the Stars

On Tuesday, ABC announced which professional dancing partners would be paired with which celebrities. Here’s the list, and no, it does not include Maksim this year.

Adam Carolla and two-time defending "Dancing with the Stars" champion Julianne Hough

Cristian de la Fuente and Cheryl Burke

Shannon Elizabeth and Derek Hough

Steve Guttenberg and Anna Trebunskaya

Mario with Karina Smirnoff

Marlee Matlin and new pro Fabian Sanchez

Penn Jillette and Kym Johnson

Priscilla Presley and Louis van Amstel

Monica Seles and Jonathan Roberts

Jason Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska

Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas

Marissa Jaret Winokur and Tony Dovolani

The show debuts on March 17.

Fans of the show, don’t miss Oprah on Thursday. The Queen of Talk will chat with Dancing With the Stars former winners Kelly Monaco, Drew Lachey and Emmitt Smith and preview the upcoming season of the show.

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Dirt DVD contest winner announced

Congratulations to Reeva Morgan, of Fort Washington, Md. She was randomly chosen as the Tube Talk winner of season one of Dirt on DVD. Way to go Reeva!

Thanks to all of you who took time to enter and to FX for sponsoring the contest.

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Idol Chatter: Guys Night

by Becky Tennant and Bethany O'Neil

Last night was the first night for the top 12 guys to show us their talent. While some were lackluster and probably made Elvis roll over in his grave, a few were great.


It is surprising though the gap between the ones that rocked last night and the ones that fell flat.


Michael Johns is the one to keep and eye and if David Cook can keep up, he could also be a front runner.Tonight we will see if the ladies can bring it. Meanwhile enjoy this clip from Michael Johns awesome performance.

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Dancing With the Stars cast revealed

Read ‘em and weep. Or do the dance of joy, if you see someone on this list that excites you.

The celebrities who’ll be shaking their booties this season on Dancing With the Stars are:

Adam Carolla, 43, comedian/syndicated DJ
Cristian de la Fuente, 33, actor (Ugly Betty)
Shannon Elizabeth, 34, actress (American Pie)
Steve Guttenberg, 49, actor (Three Men and a Baby)
Penn Jillette, 52, illusionist
Mario, 21, R&B singer
Marlee Matlin, 42, actress
Priscilla Presley, 62, actress (The Naked Gun)
Monica Seles, 34, former world's No. 1 tennis pro
Jason Taylor, 33, defensive end, Miami Dolphins.
Marissa Jaret Winokur, 35, actress (Broadway's Hairspray)
Kristi Yamaguchi, 36, figure skating gold medalist, 1992 Winter Olympics

So what do you think? I’m not too impressed with this lineup. Between Carolla and Penn, I can only imagine the level of obnoxiousness we’re going to see. Yamaguchi should be fun to watch though, considering she pretty much dances on ice as it is.

ABC will reveal the pro partners on Tuesday’s Good Morning America.

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Scott Bakula rocked Boston Legal (and Shirley Schmidt)

That Shirley Schmidt, she’s quite a woman. Not since the days of Melrose Place’s Amanda have so many men vied for the affections of such a powerful blonde.

On Boston Legal, she’s the “Schmidt” of Crane, Poole and Schmidt. She’s inspired a Shirley doll as well as the affections of her co-workers Denny Crane and Alan Shore and a long list of guest stars, including John Larroquette and Tom Selleck.

This week, Scott Bakula guest starred as Shirley’s old flame and law-school pal. The last time we saw Bakula and Candice Bergen together was during their days as a couple on Murphy Brown. After all these years, they still haven’t lost the magic.

When Bakula sat down at the piano and broke into “Once Upon a Time,” even Shirley’s current boyfriend, Carl Sack (Larroquette) couldn’t deny the chemistry. Bakula rocked, as usual. Let’s hope he makes it back to Boston soon.

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Commentary With a Co-ed: A super Supernatural

“It was the heat of the moment!”

I never thought I would hear that much Asia in the span of 40-something minutes. I can’t say that I minded it though, because we got an amazing, edge of your seat Supernatural episode last night. Now I know those words get thrown around a lot when taking about suspense or horror flicks. But believe me, this was way better than any slasher movie.

There was so much more in the episode than I thought there was going to be originally. Sam was told that Dean was his weakness, and that it would be the death of him. That wasn’t the surprising part. The trickster demon was the one who told him. Remember him, from season two? I was looking for some clue to who was responsible for the time loop, and I went through everyone in the diner: the waitress, the guy who could only pay for coffee, and the old man; I didn’t think it was the trickster.

Sam said he had been through 100 Tuesdays. That’s insane and a whole lot of Pig N’ A Poke. I was laughing out loud at so many of Dean’s unfortunate mishaps. (The piano, the sausage.) But my favorite had to be the dog. “Hey, buddy. Somebody need a friend?” *cue Asia*

I was laughing one minute, and then I was crying. Sam and Dean finally made it to Wednesday but then the coffee guy shot Dean. We got to see what seemed like weeks or months go by with Sam living on, without his brother. His obsession over killing the trickster made Sam cold and broody. Me like! Especially when Sam had to tear his shirt to clean his wound. OK, shallow commentary over.

The scene that had me screaming at the television was the one with Bobby and Sam. For a minute, I thought he killed Bobby. No, not Bobby! I can’t take another sacrifice. The trickster was a jerk but he was right about the suckiness of the sacrifice. All it causes is more blood and pain. It also causes pain for Jeffrey Dean Morgan to add another “death” to his list of credits. Which causes more pain for me! It’s six degrees of Papa Winchester.

This was one amazing episode. Although, that isn’t a shocker for me or any die hard Supernatural fan. Every week is top quality. But this one definitely raised the bar. I love those Winchester boys!

Commentary with a Co-Ed is a weekly column at Tube Talk new every Friday.

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Idol Chatter: Hollywood Week and the Top 24

Photo courtesy of FOX.



by Becky Tennant and Bethany O'Neil

After months of waiting and hours of agonizing auditions, Hollywood Week was finally upon us. This year was just as rigorous for the contestants as past years. We got to see people at their best and at their worst.


Once again we were consumed by heart wrenching stories and tears. What a relief it was to watch last nights show and finally see all of the Idol contestants that make up 2008's Top 24. What a relief it was to realize that this year there was no Sanjaya Malakar. There are actual talented people in the Top 24!

Would Josiah Leming, the homeless Tennessean, wow the judges once again? Or would Amanda Overmyer, the rocker nurse, who was involved in a serious car accident just a week before the auditions and has the 12 staples in her head to prove it, move on to Hollywood?

Unfortunately the journey ended last night for Josiah. And frankly we weren't surprised to see him go. He proved to be way over confident in his abilities by "dismissing" the band, having a meltdown when they didn't do things his way, and not to mention the weird British accent thing he does. That is just odd. We think he needs to step back and find out who he really is? Or maybe take some medication.

Another guy who got the boot was farmer Drew. Unlike Josiah, we were sad to see him go. But at least he got home in time for turkey season, we wouldn't want him to miss out on that.

On the other hand Amanda Overmyer once again won over the judges with her Janis Joplin like voice and made it through along with 11 other gals and 12 guys.

Here is your Top 24 for Season 7:

Ladies
Alaina Whitaker
Alexandrea Lushington
Amanda Overmyer
Amy Davis
Asia'h Epperson
Brook White
Joanne Borgella
Kady Malloy
Ramiele Malubay
Syesha Mercado
Kristy Lee Cook
Carly Smithson

Guys
Chikezie Eze
Colton Berry
Danny Noriega
David Archuleta
David Cook
David Hernandez
Garrett Haley
Jason Yeager
Jason Castro
Luke Menard
Robbie Carrico
Michael Johns

Next week it is finally a real competition and it will be our turn to vote and decide who goes on. Will the previous Idol disappointments prompt people to vote more for talent than popularity? We can only hope. And since this year there seems to be lots of talent, maybe that superstar we have been waiting for is just around the corner.

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Joshua Jackson to star in new FOX show

Because my love for Pacey Witter knows no bounds, I feel compelled to update you on any and all Joshua Jackson news. (Yes, I know it’s not 1998.)

Jackson has signed on for the new J.J. Abrams pilot for FOX, titled Fringe, according to TV Guide. Jackson will play Peter Bishop, a high-school dropout and gambling addict with an IQ of 190. He’ll work with a female federal officer (actress Anna Torv) to investigate unexplained phenomena.

I’m downright giddy that Jackson has teamed with Abrams. After all, Abrams brought us two of my all-time favorite shows: Felicity and Lost. I can’t wait to see what he has in store for Pacey, er, Peter.

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Strike update: It’s over!

Although it won’t be official until Tuesday night after members vote on the deal, by all accounts the writers’ strike is over.

Whew! It’s been a LONG three months.

Boards for the WGA tentatively approved the new contract on Sunday, and some showrunners are expected to be back to work today.

So what does this mean for you, the average TV viewer?

Some of your favorite shows will be back this spring with new episodes. Other shows, won’t surface again until next year (if ever) in some cases. (Yes, Bionic Woman, I’m talking to you.)

According to Kristen at E!Online, here’s a rundown of what shows will be back and when. For those of you who e-mailed asking the fate of Scrubs, creator Bill Lawrence has said he will write the finale, whether NBC will air it is still unclear.

Returning this season

Lost – The show is expected to produce more new episodes this year, in addition to the eight they already had in the can. The actors “are on standby.”

The Office – It will be back with six to 10 new episodes this season. Woo Hoo!

Grey’s Anatomy – The actors are ready to go back to work to produce a “handful” of new episodes that will air this season. Josh Jackson (Pacey, to all you Dawson’s Creek fans) is expected to do his guest stint. Yay!

Gossip Girl – The CW wants more episodes this season, says Gossip Girl.

Desperate Housewives – The housewives will be forefront for May sweeps with six new episodes.

Supernatural – It’s “likely” that she show will resume production and fans will get three or four more episodes.

Won’t be back this season:

Pushing Daisies - Don’t expect any new episodes this year. (That sound is my heart breaking.) Those involved in the show will not be reporting back to work until March to begin working on season two.

Friday Night Lights – Don’t expect any new episodes this season. And FNL fans have plenty of reasons to worry that the show won’t return next season, either, after NBC head honcho Ben Silverman’s comments. Fan campaigns are under way to keep the lights on, and I’m hoping it works. But the ratings for Friday’s show were less than 2 million. Not good.

Chuck – It won’t return until next year with season two.

Heroes - It’s not likely the show will return until next season.

Don’t see your favorite show listed? Then check out TV Guide’s nifty post-strike chart that details pretty much any show you’re interested in watching.

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Commentary with a Co-ed: The Black Canary swooped into Smallville

by Ashley Gouveia

The Black Canary came to Smallville, the Green Arrow returned, and the unthinkable happened. Clark Kent finally stood up to Lana Lang. I know, crazy right?

After last week’s awkward ending, I had only hoped for this kind of blowout between them. Even though they seemed to revert back to their “domestic bliss,” I think good ‘ol Ollie Queen planted all the seeds of doubt needed for Clark to eventually make the final break. At least I hope so.

Justin Hartley, oh how I‘ve missed you! It was so great to have him back on Smallville. I love how he constantly calls Clark out on just sitting around the farm. He doesn’t hold back at all, and that’s refreshing. It turned out Ollie was back in town fighting crime with Chloe‘s help. Like she said, she needed to pay the bills and who could blame her? That’s a pretty cool job. Too bad Clark didn’t think so.

After he stopped whining about his love life, he went over to Ollie’s bachelor clock-tower pad and rammed into him about putting her in danger. Clark definitely didn’t like Oliver moving in on his sidekick (the best sidekick in town!). Aww! Take that “new and improved version!”

I was thrilled that Clark came up with the name Black Canary. I could see a glimmer of the reporter in him. The way he tossed ideas back and forth with Chloe made me think back to days at the Torch. Anytime an episode gets me all nostalgic, it’s usually a good sign.

There wasn’t a lot of Sexy Lexy in the episode which was weird. Although, he did try to go all Crouching Tiger on our Emerald Archer. Nice moves, Lex! Now that he had his little brother clone killed, I guess he has more time for the Tai Kwan. I’m guessing Lois wasn’t clued in on her ex’s demise. She didn’t seem too broken up about it. I would imagine she would want to find out what really happened to him, right? Maybe not.

As far as the superhero guest star episodes of the past, this one makes my top five. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked Alaina Huffman’s portrayal of Ollie’s future ladylove, Black Canary. She had chemistry with all the characters, and it didn’t seem forced at all. I liked how she tried to get Clark to join the gang and his knowing grin as he watched her and Oliver walk away together. Great nod to comic fans everywhere.

Season four’s introduction to Bart Allen (“Run”) and season six’s intro to the Green Arrow (“Arrow”) are tied for my favorite guest superhero episodes. I’m curious to hear what yours are. Let me know what you think about that and last night’s episode. Plus, Chloe’s not a natural blonde? Hmm…interesting.


Commentary with a Co-Ed is a weekly column at Tube Talk new every Friday.

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Idol Chatter: Atlanta and the end of auditions

by Becky Tennant and Bethany O’Neil

It is week four of American Idol, and we are singing “Halleluiah” that this part of the auditions are finished! While a week, maybe two, of city-to-city auditions are fine, more than three weeks is just too much for us. We say, “Bring on Hollywood!”

Wednesday night was a montage of the “best and worst” from the auditions so far. The Three’s Company segment, with the twins Chris and Cory and the girl Ashley, was too much for us. At least those three have each other and their looks. We could have done without it, but it’s a time killer, and we admit the dog was cute.

Atlanta, as a whole, was not too bad to watch. We got to meet Ryan’s parents. Weren’t they just cute? And we were serenaded by some really good singers.

One of our top picks from Tuesday night was Amanda Overmyer. She is a rocker, biker, nurse chick with a totally awesome hairdo. She brings the rock persona that Gina Glockson tried to bring last season, and she has a really good voice to top it off. We will see her in the top 24!

There were several other ladies that impressed: From Atlanta, Alexandrea Lushington, Brooke “Ms. Southern Florida Fair” Helvie, and Asia’h Epperson.

Asia’h impressed the judges with her vocal talents, and also brought everything in perspective with the story of her dad’s passing, just days before the auditions. We see her doing excellent in Hollywood.

Another sad story of the evening came from Josiah Leming. Josiah is from Tennessee but has called his Ford Tempo home for over 10 months now. He seemed to have things together, though, and we were looking forward to his audition. We ended up being very disappointed. While the judges liked him, we were a bit turned off by the English accent he has when he sings. You are from Tennessee, not Britain! Don’t try to act like Chris Martin. He got a “yes” from the judges, but a thumbs down from us; we don’t see him getting too far in the Hollywood round.

Overall, Atlanta added 20 more hopefuls to the Hollywood list, which brings the Hollywood total to 172 contestants vying for the Top 24.

We are so excited that this part of the show is FINALLY over with. Hollywood will definitely bring out the best and worst of the contestants and hopefully this year, Paula, Randy, and Simon will pick a Top 24 that is actually worthy to be called the Top 24!

Enjoy this montage from Tuesday nights show, featuring Fergie’s song “Glamorous.” It is just too funny. Thankfully this will be the last one of these for another year!

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Welcome back to Smallville Green Arrow!

by Jennifer Squires Biller

Oliver Queen, how I’ve missed you. Your biceps, your smirk, your sarcasm, and did I mention those eyes?

Last season, Justin Hartley infused a new energy into the show with his portrayal of Green Arrow, and he brings that character back to the canvas tonight. Comic book lovers will get an extra thrill, as the Black Canary is introduced into the Smallville canon tonight.

Apparently, Chloe has been secretly working for Oliver. Yay! (No wonder Chloe hasn’t had much time for Clark lately.) Also, Lois is in this episode, so expect a much-awaited confrontation between Lois and her former boyfriend.

I’ve been sorely disappointed with this season of Smallville, so far. It’s been too heavily centered on Kara, Clark’s mom, and all the comic-book baddies. For me, the beauty and heart of Smallville was always that this was Clark Kent, before he became Superman and battled all these crazy villains. I miss the family relationships he had with his father and his mother and the friendships he had with Lex, Chloe and Pete. And yes, I’m bored silly by the Clark/Lana relationship. It’s clear something is not working when Chloe, not Lana, was the one who realized Bizarro Clark was acting strange. Lana was sleeping with him; you would have thought she would have noticed something.

As for Oliver, I can’t wait to see what he’s been up to. As comic book fans know, Black Canary will ruffle his feathers. I always thought Oliver should have been a love interest for Chloe, instead of Lois. But this is Smallville, where Chloe gets no love, unless it’s from geeky Jimmy Olsen. (Every hot guy falls for Lois or Lana. Yawn.)

Don’t forget to tune in tonight at 8 p.m. on the CW to see the Green Arrow. I promise, it’s worth a trip to Smallville.

Meanwhile, for all you Chlark fans out there who continue to e-mail me your comments, questions and frustrations, here’s a small treat for you, courtesy of Lynn.

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Writers’ strike breakthrough

I’ve been hesitant to report this story without official statements from both sides, but the AP, the New York Times, and every other reliable news agency out there is running the story that writers and producers reached a tentative deal over the weekend. A finalized deal is said to be in the works within the next week.

The sources quoted in the stories were anonymous, so I’m a bit hesitant to believe this just yet. But, I think there is a definite push to get this thing solved prior to the Oscars.

Let’s hope this story is all kinds of true and that the writers and everyone else involved in this mess can get back to work soon. I cannot take another season of The Moment of Truth.

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Buffy the Vampire Slayer reunion at Paley Festival

The cast of Buffy the Vampire Slayer - even star Sarah Michelle Gellar - will be participating in a panel discussion at the William S. Paley Television Festival on March 14-27 in Los Angeles.

Other Buffy cast members on board for the reunion include Nicholas Brendan (Xander), James Marsters (Spike), Seth Green (Oz), Eliza Dushku (Faith), Amber Benson (Tara), Emma Caulfield (Anya) and Michelle Trachtenberg (Dawn). And Mr. Brilliance himself, Grrr..Argh creator Joss Whedon, will be there as well.

The Buffy reunion alone is reason enough to buy a ticket. But if you want more, you’ve got it. I think this may be the best lineup for the Paley Festival that I’ve ever seen. Many of my favorite stars will be there such as Matt, Landry and Julie from Friday Nigh Lights, my beloved Olive and Ned, from Pushing Daisies; Nate, Serena, Blair and Dan from Gossip Girl and Tom and Samantha from Dancing With the Stars.

Other panels include Chuck, Dirty Sexy Money, Damages, Mad Men and The Comedy World of Judd Apatow and Friends.

Tickets for the general public are $60 and $45 per event.

For complete details, check out the Paley Fest site.

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Win Dirt season one on DVD

The new season of Dirt, starring Courteney Cox, premieres on March 2 at 10 p.m. ET on FX.

To celebrate its return, Tube Talk is pleased to be partnering with FX to give away season one on DVD. The DVD set includes all 13 episodes on four discs, as well as deleted scenes and these other special features: “Tabloid Wars: Totally true stories from the celebrity trenches”; “Celebrity Couple Gets Dirty”; and “Through a Lens, Darkly.”

To enter, simply send an e-mail to jennifer@tube-talk.com with “Dirt DVD Contest” in the subject line. I’ll randomly choose a winner from the submissions, after two weeks.

The contest ends February 18 at midnight. FX has requested that entries be limited to U.S. residents. Good luck!

Dirt is the story of Lucy Spiller (Cox) a tough editor-in-chief of a celebrity tabloid magazine, Dirt Now, and her relentless pursuit to get stories. Some of the guest stars for the upcoming season include Tom Arnold, Rick Fox, Sharon Lawrence, and Rosanna Arquette.

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Nip/Tuck or Nip YUCK?

by Jennifer Squires Biller

There is pushing the envelope and then there’s Nip/Tuck.

If you’ve been reading Tube Talk the past few months, you know I’ve been singing the praises of Nip/Tuck again, after it got off track a couple seasons ago with that whole demented Carver storyline. The show moved to Los Angeles and seemed to get back to what attracted viewers in the first place: the complex characters we love.

That was until Tuesday’s episode.

That episode pushed the squeamish bar so far that at times it was unwatchable. If a mutilated corpse, graphic surgeries, a cannibalism story, a disturbing murder admission to a child, and hammertoes weren’t enough to send your hand covering your eyes, then the scene where a man was killed, as he was stuffed like a teddy bear, surely would have.

The episode was so over-the-top disturbing that I thought for a moment I was watching the Nip/Tuck of two years ago.

My biggest complaint with the show through the years is that Sean and Christian never seem to get involved with “normal” people. Almost every woman introduced in the past three years has been a complete wacko. Are there no normal people in Miami or L.A. who don’t have sex obsessions, stalker personalities, or murder on the mind? Come on.

Nip/Tuck is at its best when it gets back to the basics: the characters we love - Sean, Julia, Christian and Liz - not the over-the-top crazies that seem to continuously come and go through the revolving door. The real story of Nip/Tuck is between Sean and Christian and how they can ever get past the fact that Christian fell for his best friend’s wife. (At least I thought he had.) It seems now that the woman Christian has coveted for the past 20 years is now just like any other to him, disposable.

I don’t get it. And I don’t get why the show suddenly is going back down this ridiculous dark road of psychopaths. We all know where it leads. Before long, Sean and Christian will be headed to the swamp with a trunk full of hams.

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Lost’s Sawyer is “bad to the bone”

I’ve always had a thing for bad boys. (On TV, that is.) My list is long: Spike, Angel, Pacey, Lex, Maverick, Joey Tribiani, Magnum, and, of course, my Sawyer.

In this brilliant promo for the new season of Lost, the folks at ABC have captured one of the best reasons to watch Lost: Sawyer. (Or James Ford as some of you may know him.) They’ve strung together Sawyer’s unique nicknames for his fellow castmates and have even managed to showcase Hurley getting in a dig of his own.

If you haven’t seen this video yet, then hit play immediately. If you’ve never watched Lost, don’t be deterred from watching, especially if you enjoy bad boys. Did I mention that Sawyer is shirtless in a couple scenes?

I promise you’ll enjoy it. Who doesn’t love a little George Thorogood?

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Commentary With a Co-ed: Ugly Betty and Gene Simmons

by Ashley Gouveia

“Gene Simmons is my daddy.”

Amanda got to meet her real father last week and sing a hilarious little tune. I can’t get it out of my head. “Late one night, back in ’81...” Hysterical.

Becki Newton just gets more amazing every week. I guess the song is going to have to sustain my “Betty” fix for a while. Last week was the final episode until the strike is resolved. Bummer.

Betty finally got to her chance to be published. She assumed she was interviewing author Philip Roth. Instead, she got stuck with Phil Roth, a jerk writer who writes about insulting ways for men to pick up women. I wondered when Betty would have her first byline at Mode. She basically saves it from falling apart every week. Unfortunately, it looks like she’s going to have to wait even longer. Alexis squashed the whole article.

She did learn an important lesson. Sometimes you have to step out of your comfort zone and try something different. Good one, Daniel. I loved how he was the one to teach her something for a change. He had faith in her; they shared a cinnamon twist. It was all very cute!

Gabrielle Union also guest starred in this episode as Renee, or should I say Rhonda, Wilhelmina’s sister. She’s also Daniel’s new lust interest of the week. I think the whole thing is a little weird. I have a feeling that relationship is going to end up like Sophia all over again. We got clued in that she’s already keeping something from Daniel. What do you all think it could be? My guess is that she’s like Alexis and was formerly a man. Or maybe she was Ugly Rhonda and is afraid of what Daniel might think of her.

I don’t like the ‘Christina being the surrogate’ storyline. I know her logic for doing it is to help her sick husband Stuart. Maybe I’m a cynic, but I still don’t think the guy is really sick. I’d like to see some kind of proof, like a second opinion or a drop of sweat.

Gio and Henry went at each other in an all out “who can get the most numbers” showdown. Henry held his own, much to Betty’s dismay. I liked that Henry finally let his feelings of jealousy be known. I just don’t know where they are going with it. Betty says she will stay away from Gio. Yeah, because that always works out so well. I anticipate some angst in the near future. What do you think?

Commentary with a Co-Ed is a weekly column at Tube Talk new every Friday.

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